There ’s a bunch of gear out there for your Apple machine , but how do you know which are worth your time and what ’s not deserving your money ? In our Gear We Love column , Macworld ’s editors tell you about the products we ’re in person using — and loving .
One of my favourite things about the annual Macworld / iWorld show is checking out the unique gear from smaller , lesser - known vendors and from the “ We make so many dissimilar things that you ’re bound to find something you like ” companies . Nite Izeis one of the latter . I first bump Nite Ize many years ago , when the ship’s company concentrate onnifty flashlights and flashlight accessory . But the company has since enlarge to themobile - accessary market , and the Nite Ize booth at Macworld / iWorld is a regular gizmo - geek ’s art gallery .
At this year ’s show , three products in special caught my eye . I ’ve been using them for the preceding few months , and each has testify itself utile . Just as telling , each is relatively cheap .
Inka Mobile Pen + Stylus
Despite my digital - focused life sentence , it ’s commodious to have a pen handy , and though I ’m not a frequent stylus user , there are time it ’s nice to have one of those around , too . Alas , I ordinarily have neither , because I do n’t want to get by with carrying them . The $ 12Inka Mobile Pen + Stylusoffers a solvent : It ’s just 4.3 inches long and weigh just 10 grams , yet that succinct visibility feature a ball - point pen , a prophylactic - beak touchscreen stylus , and a small snap ring clip for seize the Inka to your bag , belt , or key annulus .
useable in blue , black , or slaked lime leafy vegetable , the Inka ’s nookie - off end caps are standardized , so you’re able to opt which tip — ink or stylus — is covered by the carabiner . I recommend choosing the end you practice more oft , so you may just leave the snap ring wherever it ’s crop . A thoughtful tactile sensation is that the caps are translucent , so you could see which end is which before removing either cap . The body is made of nylon and carbon fiber , and feels very sturdy , and the replaceable ( $ 5 ) ink cartridge is pressurized to write at any angle or height — even submerged , says the society . ( I did n’t essay that claim . )
The pen itself is fairly good , and the stylus , while not the good stylus you could get , is better than many I ’ve tested that cost more than the Inka . The Inka ’s duncical barrel is even manageable with gloves on — you’re able to trim the Inka to your ski jacket crown for using your iPhone on the incline without take to display your digit to the elements .
QuikStand Mobile Stand
Back in April , my co-worker Serenity Caldwellreviewed the $ 26 Pocket Tripod , a tiny , fold - up iPhone rack she discovered at the Macworld / iWorld show . Nite Ize offers a similar take , but for quite a bit less—$10 , to be accurate .
Like the Pocket Tripod , theQuikStand Mobile machine Standis about the size of a business calling card : 3.4 by 2 in when folded up , and only 0.2 inches thick . Made of aluminum and polypropylene , it weighs just 10 grams , and it easy slip into your bag , your sack , or even your notecase .
When you involve a stand , you just flip up the Al backplate , and then flip up the aluminum support piece and insert it into one of nine slots in the backplate to pick your sales booth angle . You then flip up a small , plastic tab in the front of the stand to keep back your gimmick in place . The viewpoint can accommodate an iPhone , iPod signature , or even an iPad mini — though not a full - size iPad — with or without a case . An iPad miniskirt is sturdy in landscape painting preference , though it ’s a bit wonky in portrait .
Given that the rack ’s hinge are made of polypropylene and require bending whenever you use the standstill , I do n’t know how they ’ll admit up over clock time , but they ’re still upstanding on my QuikStand after a few months of habit .
HandleBand
Most bike / bar mounts for smartphones ask you to for good ( or at least semi - for good ) bond climb ironware to your motorcycle , and most are made for a specific equipment . Nite Ize ’s $ 20HandleBand Universal Smartphone Bar Mounttakes a different approach path .
Made mostly of black or semitransparent - white silicone polymer over a metallic element inner framing , the HandleBand is designed to be easy set up and removed , and it equip reasonably much any smartphone , with or without a case . ( It work with taproom 0.9 to 2.0 inch in diameter . ) To deploy the mount , you just grade the arch of the HandleBand on your handlebar — on the barroom itself , or on the stem , in whichever orientation you prefer — and then enclose the silicone strap around the bar and over a snip on the diametric side of the metal inning . Removing the HandleBand is as simple as stretching the strap a bit to publish it from the time . ( If youwantto deploy the HandleBand more permanently , there are openings in the mount for securing it with zip ties . )
To climb up your phone , you set it on the categoric top of the HandleBand , wrap the rest of the silicone polymer shoulder strap over the front of the phone , and batten it to the clip on the other side of the metal frame . Though the strap does n’t appear specially sturdy , it ’s tight and grippy — I never felt as though my headphone might come loose and fall out , even when drive my bike over rough city streets . ( I did n’t test it mountain biking . )
The HandleBand ’s silicone - strap approach lets you use it with any phone , and you could position your headphone as far up or down ( or left or proper , if mounted in landscape predilection ) as you prefer . you may even utilize the HandleBand to temporarily mount , say , a torch or a small portable speaker . One downside , however , is that you have two slight , silicone strips obscuring turn of the silver screen . I found these stips to be now and again annoying , though some conscientious positioning of my iPhone usually let me understate the impediment .
During my testing , I really appreciated being able to chop-chop move the climb from one bike to another , as well as to use the HandleBand with not only bikes , but also strollers and shopping go-cart . ( Yes , I’velong wanteda flying - sacking backing for shopping carts , so my sept could more easily peruse our iPhone - hosted shopping lists . )
Oh , and one of the HandleBand ’s metal frame clips is also a bottle undoer . How many bike mounts can say that ?
